Grab Bar

ABSTRACT

A load bearing grab bar to be used in public and household restrooms to aid elderly or handicapped people in lowering or raising themselves from a toilet or wheelchair. The grab bar is attached to the baseboard of the wall or an existing handrail, and has an adjustable support leg to provide better stability when weight is applied. The grab bar rotates from a vertical stored position to a horizontal in-use position to allow for better and safer mobility around home bathroom or public toilet stall.

This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/940,188 filedon Sep. 14, 2004 and priority is claimed thereto

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to a grab bar apparatus that may be usedto enable an individual to improve their balance, positioning, andweight bearing status when transferring from a toilet seat or awheelchair to a standing position. More particularly it is a grab barthat is foldable, improves safety when transferring in the bathroom,secure, and helps users to regain/maintain their independence.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Severe accidents often occur in the bathroom of residential homes orpublic restrooms. The reason for this is that many bathroom items, suchas bathtubs, toilets, and floors, are made out of smooth solid material,such as porcelain, tile, marble, and metal. Complicating matters worse,these materials have a tendency of becoming slippery when wet. Thisfactor proposes a dangerous threat to bathroom users, as slipping onsuch surfaces can result in serious physical injury. For the disabled,elderly, and young children the risk of serious injury increases,despite whether or not surfaces in the bathroom are wet. A main problemfor such persons, especially the elderly and disabled, becomes using thebathroom. This problem is particularly cumbersome for those frailpersons residing in their own residential homes that are not gettingin-depth care or assistance, such as the care provided in a hospital orby a full-time nurse. Such persons are by and large capable of caringfor themselves but are still fairly weak, thus simple tasks like usingthe bathroom become greatly burdensome.

In an attempt to lower the risk of injury in the bathroom and aid userswith disabilities, an assortment of grab rails have become widespread inbathroom facilities. Handrails are mounted on the walls adjacent totoilets to provide a source of support, which a person can utilize toget into standing or sitting position. An assortment of handrails hasbeen formed to address the need for aid, especially in the bathroom.

A popular form of handrail is the conventional straight grab bar, whichis a stationary fixed rail bolted or otherwise attached to a wall thatallows a user to grab with their hands in order to aid in the transitionbetween a seated and standing position. Yet such devices are often madeof rigid material that employ a tubular rail with a large diameter alongthe length. This configuration provides complications for people withsmall or frail hands who cannot grab the handrail securely, and thus thehandrail becomes useless for such users and the danger of serious injuryremains present.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,237 issued to Richard E. Marzee on Nov. 25, 1997 andU.S. Pat. No. 6,112,344 issued to Torbett B. Guenther on Sep. 5, 2000both show forms of conventional straight grab bars that are mounted onthe wall, yet unlike the present invention these devices are mounted asmall distance off the wall thus making them difficult for the user toreach, as well as limit mobility for the user to obtain a strongtwo-handed grasp. Also given that that these devices require the user topush themselves up, which requires more upper body strength as comparedwith pulling with both hands, these devices may cause strain or stressin the wrists of the user as the swing or sway onto or off a toilet seatas well as in or out of a wheelchair. These forms of handrails do notprovide adequate assistance in maneuvering in a bathroom stall.

Swing away grab bars are of a triangular configuration and mount to thewall and floor. These devices pivot away from the wall, and snap, lock,or drop into place. Yet unlike the present invention, such devices canbecome obstructive and hinder movement of the user, as they do not allowfor enough legroom if the user wears a leg brace or cast.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,213 issued to Lawrence L. Sarff on Oct. 17, 2000shows a U-shaped wall mounted hand rail, which flips down and locks inplace, yet unlike the present invention this device does not allow forexcessive weight bearing down. The amount of weight bearing capacity iswholly dependent upon the construction of the wall it is being installedon. If mounted on a sidewall, the apparatus does not extend far enoughin front of a user to offer enough leverage. If installed on a facingwall, this device will only be functional if the facing all is in closeenough proximity to the toilet to be of assistance.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,590,440 issued to Thomas E. Pelt on Jan. 7, 1997 shows agrab bar assembly consisting of an elongated D-shaped bar, wall mounted,which folds up against the wall when not in use. Yet unlike the presentinvention, this device has a small mounting base, which does not allowfor a great deal of force to be used in pulling the user from the toiletor a wheelchair, or in weight bearing down upon the device. This devicecould also be pulled from the wall quite easily. Another limitation ofthe device not present in the present invention is that when flippedinto a storage mode, the device extends into the walkway and hindersmovement of the user. Furthermore, the bottom support arm of the deviceposes an injury risk should a user lose their balance and fall on thesharp bottom edge.

U.S, Pat. No. 3,414,904 issued to Mike A. Provi on Dec. 10, 1968, U.S.Pat. No. 4,417,361 issued to Alfred A. Smith on Nov. 29, 1983, U.S. Pat.No. 5,050,252 issued to Rik Cuttriss on Sep. 24, 1991, U.S. Pat. No.5,105,483 issued to Robin Levien on Apr. 21, 1992, U.S. Pat. No.5,659,904 issued to Paul J. Doczy on Aug. 26, 1997, show safetyhandrails. Yet unlike the present invention, these devices areconfigured for bathtubs and Jacuzzis and therefore would not provide anyassistance for a user on a toilet seat.

Thus there is a need for a handrail that provides a solid, secure leverthat can withstand the forces of both pulling against and pushing to aidin the mechanism of assisted standing for a user, while also beingconvenient and efficient to use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention improves upon the various previous methods ofassisting a user in moving between a toilet seat and standing stance, aswell as cited patents by being efficient to use, convenient, spacesaving, all while not hindering the movement of the user.

The present invention has two main bars. A first bar mounts to anexisting conventional hand bar. The first bar is configured to rotateroughly 90 degrees about the conventional hand bar. In use, the firstbar rotates from a position where it is nearly parallel to a verticalwall to a position relatively perpendicular to a vertical wall. A secondbar mounts to the first bar at a first end the second bar. The secondbar mounts to a conventional floor, wall, or other fixed surface at asecond end of the second bar. In use, the second bar is relativelyparallel to a vertical wall when the present invention is not deployed.When the present invention is deployed, the second bar shifts to anangle (preferably about 10 degrees) from the vertical wall. Thus, whenthe present invention is deployed, the first bar rotates from a positionwhere it is nearly parallel to a vertical wall to a position relativelyperpendicular to a vertical wall; and the second bar shifts to an anglefrom the vertical wall that is preferably about 10 degrees.

The present invention employs a third bar that is connected at a firstend to the first bar, and at a second end to the second bar. When thepresent invention is deployed, the third bar moves roughly 120 degreesso as to allow the first bar to move from a vertical to a horizontalposition. Also, when the third bar moves roughly 120 degrees, the secondbar moves roughly 10 degrees from the vertical wall.

The end of the first bar preferably has an end cap to seal the end ofthe first bar, which the user may grip. In an alternative embodiment,the first bar may be designed in an angled or curved configuration, asopposed to being a straight bar, to provide a better grip for the user.

The first bar extends perpendicular from the wall, when pulled upward toa horizontal position for use. This configuration provides enoughsurrounding area to securely grip the bar in order for the user to loweror rise from a seated position comfortably.

When the present invention is raised into a horizontal position for use,second bar, which is connected to the first bar via the third bar atroughly a 10 degree angle from the vertical wall. The second bar couldbe fastened to the baseboard on the wall, the wall itself, a bathroomstall wall, or alternatively to the floor. In this way, the presentinvention does not pose a tripping hazard for the user because thesecond bar is attached to or as close to a vertical surface as possibleat its second end. Such a configuration allows the user to bear weighton the first bar, the first bar then transferring the weight to thesecond bar, safely and securely. The second bar features a heightadjustment component that allows the user to adjust the second bar to adesired height, thus making the present invention fit the properdistance between a conventional hand bar and a conventional floor.

After a user is finished using the present invention, the presentinvention folds neatly out of the way as the first bar rotates about theconventional hand bar to move from a horizontal position to a nearlyvertical position. Moreover, after a user is finished using the presentinvention, the present invention folds nearly out of the way as thesecond bar shifts from its deployed roughly 10 degree from the verticalposition to a vertical or close to vertical position beside the verticalwall. The cylinder slides up the third bar as the present invention isdeployed and the second bar moves to a 10-degree position from verticalas the third bar moves to horizontal.

When the third bar is vertical, then the cylinder slips down upon acollar, which is a partial cylinder that is mounted at the first end ofthe third bar. The collar's partial cylinder has a height that slopesdown as the cylinder moves around the third bar from the side of the barthat faces toward a conventional vertical wall. When the cylinder slipsdown upon the collar, the cylinder is rising along the slope of thepartial cylinder of the collar

The engagement piece is positioned along the second bar, below thesecond pivot bar. The engagement piece is slid up along the second barso that it pushes the cylinder up so that the cylinder clears the top ofthe collar. Once that is done, the cylinder no longer is frictionallyengaged with the high point of the collar, and thus, under the power ofgravity, the third bar moves down back to its original position. As itmoves in such a way, the third bar pivots about the first pin and thesecond pin.

The cylinder slides (under the power of gravity), slides down the thirdbar coming to rest atop the first pin.

When the present invention is not is use, the device is folded upagainst a wall, with the leg folded up under the bar. The device willstay in place until it is used again. In order to use the presentinvention, the user pulls the grip bar arm down from its upward storedposition, until the grip bar arm locks in its downward horizontalposition. The grip bar arm acts as a secure lever that can withstand theforces of pulling and pushing against, in order to aid the user instanding up or sitting down.

The support leg may be pulled down and adjusted to a desired height inorder to provide optimum support and comfort for the user. In analternative embodiment, the support leg is adjustable in order toprovide for less expensive manufacturing costs.

An end cap is located on the end of the first bar in order to seal theleg and provide non-skid support, providing security and stability forthe user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a front view of the present invention from the perspectiveof a user sitting on a conventional toilet or wheelchair.

FIG. 2 shows a side view of the present invention from the perspectiveof a user looking toward the wall while the present invention isattached with a standard bar.

FIG. 3 shows another view of the front of the present invention andsolely focuses on the first bar (150), cylinder (85), collar (80),engagement piece (70) and second pin (100).

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 display views of the present invention from both theperspective of a user as in FIG. 1 and of a more disassociated observeras in FIG. 2. Both display in general how the foot mounting (50)provides an adaptable base to support the second bar (60). Many of thesmaller elements that make up the present invention, such as theengagement piece (70) and collar (80) also are seen from the viewsdepicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. Above the moveable parts associated withthe collar (80) area of the present invention, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 showthe placement of the first bar (150). The present invention essentiallyis supported by the adaptable foot mounting (50) and can be attached tothe wall by other means, including but limited to, a conventional handbar (180) as seen in FIG. 2. The various views also show that thepresent invention is configured for a vertical pivoting movement betweenan upward stored position and a horizontal in-use position.

In FIG. 1 there is shown a foot mounting (50), second bar (60),engagement piece (70), collar (80), second pin (100), first pin (90),cylinder (85), first bar (150) and end cap (120). The first bar (150) isconfigured to rotate about 90 degrees in relation to the conventionalhand bar (180), making the first bar (150) capable of being bothparallel and perpendicular to a wall when in usage.

The second bar (60), meanwhile, is mounted to the first bar (150). Thissecond bar can then be mounted to a variety of areas ranging from aconventional wall or floor based on the adaptability of the footmounting (50). In this way, the present invention can easily be placedin the most unobtrusive and safest position possible. When the presentinvention is deployed, the position of the second bar shifts from anangle parallel to a standard wall to an angle of about but not limitedto 10 degrees as shown in FIG. 1. In effect, when the present inventionis deployed, the second bar (60) shifts to the angle while the first bar(150) rotates from a position parallel to the wall to perpendicular.

FIG. 2 shows us that a third bar (160) is connected to an end of thefirst bar (150) and also an end of the second bar (60). When the presentinvention is deployed, this third bar (160) moves about 120 degrees. Thesignificance of the movement of the third bar (160) is that it allowsthe first bar (150) to move from a vertical position to a horizontalposition to maximize the desired usage of the present invention. Inaddition, when the third bar (160) moves to its deployment position, thesecond bar (60) will move about 10 degrees from the wall. Both of thesemovements are designed to assist the user in maximizing the fullpotential of the present invention.

Moreover, FIG. 1 shows us that an end cap (120) is connected to the endof the first bar (150). The end cap (120) can be made of rubber or othermaterial that permits the user to get a good grip on the first bar (150)as the user attempts to lift him or herself up. Also related to the gripand handle of the present invention is the movement of the first bar(150). As mentioned above, the first bar (150) extends perpendicularfrom the wall when pulled upward to a horizontal position for deploymentby the user. This is meant to provide the user with enough area tosecurely grip the first bar (150) of the present invention in order torise from the seated position in a comfortable manner.

At the time when the first bar (150) is raised to a horizontaldeployment position, the second bar (60) is a stabilizing element of thepresent invention through its various ways to be attached to a fixedstructure via the second bar (60) itself and the foot mounting (50).Again, as FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 demonstrate, the foot mounting (50) can beeasily angled based on its rotating design to fit flat on a floor orwall. The positioning of the second bar (60), which is connected to thefirst bar (150) through the third bar (160), is important. Because thesecond bar (60) is the stabilizing force, the first bar (150) is capableof accepting the force and weight of the user as he or she attempts torise from the seated position. The weight from the first bar (150) isthen transferred to the second bar (60) to provide the safest and mostefficient use of the present invention. In addition, the second bar (60)features a height-adjustment component (51) that permits the user to fitthe present invention with the proper distance between a conventionalhand bar and the floor.

Many of the elements that actually make up the movement of the presentinvention can be seen in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, we see the collar (80),cylinder (85), second pin (100) and engagement piece (70). When thepresent invention is deployed, a number of events occur. Upondeployment, the cylinder (85) slides up the third bar (160) while thesecond bar (60) moves to the aforementioned angle of about 10 degree asshown in FIG. 1. Meanwhile, the third bar (160) moves into a morehorizontal position. The engagement piece (70) is positioned along thesecond bar (60). When the user wishes to return the first bar (150) to aposition relatively parallel to the wall, then the user slides theengagement piece (70) up along the second bar (60) and the third bar(160). This process actually pushes the cylinder (85) up to the pointwhere the third bar (160) is able to collapse down because it is nolonger restrained by the cylinder (85). The collar (80) is generallycylindrically shaped, except for a curved sidewall (200) so that thecollar (80) does not prevent movement of the third bar (160). Also, thecurved sidewall (200) permits the cylinder (85) to slide down in frontof the collar (80) when the engagement piece (70) forces the cylinder(85) up, and engagement piece (70) and collar (80) are pulled quicklydown and third bar (160) begins to fall from a vertical position. Whenthe third bar (160) moves, the cylinder (85) is no longer engaged byfriction to the collar (80). Therefore, gravity pushes the third bar(160) back to its original position. As it moves, the third bar (160)pivots about both the first pin (90) and the second pin (100). Also dueto gravity as the present invention is in motion, the cylinder (85)slides down the third bar (160) before coming to a rest after beingstopped by the position of the first pin (90). It is important to notethat the collar (80) sits atop the rear side of the engagement piece(70) and thus, the collar (80) is higher than the front of theengagement piece (70). When the engagement piece (70) pushes thecylinder (85) upward it propels the cylinder (85) to clear the top ofthe collar (80). Some of the movement of the present invention can bedescribed as similar to the legs of a card table that slide and lockinto place. In that analogy as is the case with the present invention'smoveable parts as seen in FIG. 3, the components operate together toensure that the pivotal transition from an upward stored position to adownward in use position is a steady shift not characterized as adangerous fast drop. Such a configuration ensures safety for the user,and allows the first bar (150) to stop in movement once it is in ahorizontal position. The second bar (60) extends to the base of thewall, allowing a user to bear weight on the present invention, whichmakes maneuvering to and from a toilet or wheelchair safe.

FIG. 4 shows us the view of the present invention in a view from above.From this angle, one can see the conventional hand bar (180). The firstbar (150) is actually bowed as it connects to the conventional hand bar(180) in two different places. The bowed element (190) of the first bar(150) passes around the central area of the present invention thatcontains such items as the collar (80), cylinder (85) and third bar(160). This bowed element (190) permits greater leverage and helps makethe present invention much simpler and more durable and stable to use,especially for individuals who may not have strength to lift themselvesup otherwise. The bowed element of the first bar (150) effectively pullsfrom one end and pushes from the other end for maximized stability.

The present invention also is designed to minimize its area when not inuse. This is done by folding the present invention. To achieve this goalthe user can rotate the first bar (150) so it moves from the horizontalposition to nearly vertical. At the same time, the second bar (60)shifts from the aforementioned 10-degree angle to an almost completelyvertical position along the wall.

1. A grab bar comprising: a first bar; a third bar in communication withsaid first bar, said third bar capable of rotating 180 degrees; and asecond bar in communication with and under said third bar.
 2. The grabbar of claim 1, wherein said first bar is configured to attach to aconventional handle bar.
 3. The grab bar of claim 1, wherein said secondbar is configured to communicate to a conventional floor.
 4. The grabbar of claim 1, wherein said second bar is configured to communicate toa conventional wall.
 5. The grab bar of claim 1, wherein said second barhas a height adjustment component and a foot mount.
 6. The grab bar ofclaim 1, further comprising a cylinder mounted on said third bar.
 7. Thegrab bar of claim 1, further comprising an engagement piece that slidesup said third bar.
 8. The grab bar of claim 6, further comprising anengagement piece that slides up said third bar.
 9. The grab bar of claim8, wherein said engagement piece is configured to push said cylinder upalong said third bar.
 10. The grab bar of claim 9, further comprising acollar mounted atop said engagement piece, said collar configured toallow said cylinder to cover said collar, and said collar configuredwith a curved sidewall to allow said cylinder to slide down and forwardof said collar.
 11. A grab bar comprising: a first bar; a third bar incommunication with said first bar, said third bar capable of rotating180 degrees; a second bar in communication with and under said thirdbar; wherein said first bar is configured to attach to a conventionalhandle bar; wherein said second bar is configured to communicate to aconventional floor; wherein said second bar is configured to communicateto a conventional wall; wherein said second bar has a height adjustmentcomponent and a foot mount; further comprising a cylinder mounted onsaid third bar; further comprising an engagement piece that slides upsaid third bar; wherein said engagement piece is configured to push saidcylinder up along said third bar; and further comprising a collarmounted atop said engagement piece, said collar configured to allow saidcylinder to cover said collar, and said collar configured with a curvedsidewall to allow said cylinder to slide down and forward of saidcollar.